On Friday 11 February 2000, the Northern Ireland Secretary suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly amid the crisis in the peace process.

The creation of the Northern Ireland Executive nine weeks previously marked one of the final stages in a process of devolution which had begun with Labour's 1997 general election victory.

The Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly, subject to its restoration, have primary legislative powers over many areas. This means that they can pass their own laws on topics such as education which have been devolved from Westminster.

However, the Welsh Assembly is limited to secondary legislative powers. This means it is only able to vary some laws set by the Houses of Parliament and only in those issues which have been devolved to Cardiff.

The following is a summary of which powers have been transferred to the new devolved bodies from Westminster and Whitehall: